Ann and I have used a 6 on, 6 off watch sked for many years now. This allow a decent block of sleep for each of us each night, and the chance of a nap during the day. These long watches wouldn''t work if one was forced to steer, but are quite feasible if vane or a/p has the helm. In really bad wx we adjust as necessary, but try to always get a few hours of kip in a row. The idea of 2 on and 2 off wouldn't work at all for us.

So when it comes to sailing waaaaay offshore (or circumnavigating) to stay busy you can watch a bee buzz around in the cockpit, talk to your imaginary friend or friends, (anybody ever meet a dude out there goes by the name of Wilson?) splice lines, swedge rigging, read a book,.................hummm. Looks like many folks are looking for and arguing over Bluewater Boats but don't necessarily know what they will do when they get out there.

Maybe it would be better to fly where you are headed then rent a boat!?

Well, you can sail the boat, too. In case you haven't thought of that.

Yep, but that gets old after a few days. When I cross the bay, it usually takes 3-5 hours, and I usually will run the autopilot for at least half of that. I reckon you could do some fishing.............

(but you can forget about getting in your aerobic exercise for a while on a long voyage)